It was a safe bet my money was stolen but TSB won’t refund me

I am in a battle to get TSB to refund more than £1,000 taken from my account by thieves, and I need some help. Two weeks ago I realised that several unknown debits had appeared on my current account over a two-day period. I immediately rang the TSB fraud helpline. While I was waiting on hold for three hours, I unilaterally cancelled my card, to be on the safe side.

The bank has refunded a £3 payment to Travelodge and a £35 Just Eat order, but it has refused to refund 22 transactions at various betting sites including Bet365, Unibet, Betfair, Trannel International and Sky Bet – all for sums of between £30 and £40. I have never used any of these sites except Sky Bet, where I do hold an account.

The bank’s staff immediately refunded the £3 and meal charges as “they could be seen to be fraudulent”, but refused the others because they were deemed to be “gambling”. I was told to investigate myself and that TSB could not assist me in doing so. Many of these companies are offshore in Malta and elsewhere and I’m at a loss where to start.

I don’t understand why the bank is making this distinction given that it accepts that my card has been compromised. The Financial Conduct Authority regulations clearly state that “if you didn’t authorise a payment, you can claim a refund”. The disputed entries have since been changed so I can no longer see which vendors were even involved.
SG, Southampton

Last month an expert on fraud told me that TSB has the best record of the banks for refunding victims of fraud. Your case was all the more surprising given that it clearly accepted that you had been the victim of fraud, but declined to refund the sums spent on gambling sites. Clearly the thief was spending small sums to prevent any security flags being raised. You did the right thing in cancelling the card, and this probably saved you from further losses.

I raised your case with TSB, and it now accepts that you did not authorise these payments. It has refunded you in full. It did so having looked into the “additional information provided by you and the betting companies”. The bank has also offered £100 compensation.

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.